A master plan develops in Valley Stream

It has been a long time in the making, but Valley Stream officials are nearing the adoption of a new Master Plan, which would guide development in the village’s downtown and other commercial districts.

Frederick P. Clark Associates, the village’s consultant, has released a draft Master Plan that officials are reviewing before making it public later this year. Officials say that the proposed plan includes many changes that would revitalize the downtown area.

The Master Plan targets the commercial district on Merrick Road, from the Lynbrook border to Central Avenue, and on Rockaway Avenue, from Maple Avenue to Peninsula Boulevard. The focus, however, is on the village’s downtown business district, specifically Rockaway Avenue, from Merrick Road to Sunrise Highway.

Vinny Ang and Barbara DeGrace, assistants to the Board of Trustees who are spearheading efforts to improve the downtown business district, say that the Master Plan is needed to identify areas of potential redevelopment and eliminate burdensome restrictions on business owners.

To be successful, Ang said, the village must identify its assets and build from there. There are three Long Island Rail Road stations in or adjacent to the village — Valley Stream, Gibson and Westwood — and it is only a 30-minute trip to Manhattan’s Penn Station. Additionally, it is a short ride from Valley Stream to the Jamaica train station, where riders can take the Air Train to Kennedy Airport. “You will find no village with better transportation capabilities,” Ang said.

The Valley Stream LIRR station is just a few blocks from the downtown business district, as is Hendrickson Park, with its lake, pool, basketball and tennis courts, walking track and mini-golf course. No other village has a park like it, Ang said.

Because of the downtown’s proximity to the park and train station, village officials say there is a need for more high-density housing on and around Rockaway Avenue.